Scene 2: An interior in Beirut. Sitting comfortably, Qassem tells a journalist how pleased he is that the West is going easier than ever on Hezbollah. "Western countries are rushing to speak with us and will do so even more in the future," Qassem says. "The ambassador of a key European country also informed us that the U.S. will deal with any government. ... Things look good now that Bush is gone."

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Scene 3: The White House. President Obama strokes his chin and wonders how his strategy of engaging the Muslim world, rather than systematically isolating bad actors, is working.